Category: Salads

The pandemic, and the extreme isolation experienced by many of us who live alone, has made the concept of self-care more than a mere buzzword—I liken it to a shift in consciousness. One that I hope will last long after we reach herd immunity and return to a more social existence.

Recently, I found myself thinking about the benefits of self-care in the form of healthy eating while making a simple, but truly delicious salad for lunch. One reason this salad made me so happy is the experience of buying some of the ingredients at a local farm. Seeing the young farmers, even if only for a few minutes, never fails to brighten my day. They have so much enthusiasm and energy. I’m certain it’s what makes their vegetables taste so good, along with organic practices and well-cared for soil.

Since it’s winter, their current offerings are primarily root vegetables and hardy greens. So I load up on beets, fingerling potatoes and spinach—as precious as gold! Shopping at the farm stand often includes a conversation about cooking, which in this case is about the pleasures of roasted beets and all of the ways to enjoy them.

Back at home in the kitchen, slicing my now-roasted beets and assembling my salad, I notice how happy I feel. Making a salad is so basic, yet suddenly purposeful and positive, too. I take my time and think about ways to make my meal as delicious as possible. I toast a handful of pecans, add a bit of leftover goat cheese (also from a local farm) and squeeze the juice from an orange to add brightness to a simple mustard vinaigrette. As I stand there chopping the vegetables with the sun streaming through my window, warming my face, I realize that this is a moment worthy of celebration.

What especially strikes me is my lack of hurry because I have the week off. Normally, on a work day, I either eat leftovers, or frantically throw something together between Zoom calls. Always being in a rush is really exhausting. But I don’t truly see how much this is the case, until I experience the absence of frenzy.

In the spirit of celebrating the moment, I set the table with my favorite linen tablecloth and napkins, along with silverware and a glass of pinot gris. I put the first side of Francis Poulenc’s La Musique de Chambre on my turntable, and eat slowly as the rich sound of woodwinds and strings fills the room. I imagine that the greens, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados and other ingredients are infusing every cell in my body with vital energy and nutrition. And I feel grateful, so grateful for a moment to appreciate the simple joy of a simple meal.

For me, the real pleasure of cooking is to share my bounty with friends. But now, due to our current pandemic-related circumstances, I’m doing my best to embrace the lost pleasures of solitude.

Kale. So ubiquitous, but utterly supreme. I like how tough it is. That attribute of toughness seems admirable on a good day, but now more than ever. Plus you can make a way-too-big salad and toss it with a crazy-generous amount of dressing and 24 hours later it will still be fresh as a culinary daisy with some snap to its bite. But let’s not forget about the health benefits.

According to Healthline, Kale is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet—though you don’t really need to read up on Kale to know that it’s good for you. You can just tell by it’s beautiful deep green hue.

I really feel very virtuous when I eat a kale salad. I like that sense of indulging myself yet also knowing that I’ve done something super healthy. It’s a great experience.

At first you resist it, much like you deny being a super fan of beauty articles like Next-Level Fabulous Skincare Secrets on Goop. It seems cliché or like something that’s downtrending. And maybe both of those things are true. But man, who the hell cares?! It’s just good, and good for you. Don’t fight it.

I grew kale the summer before last, and you know what? That endeavor felt even more virtuous than eating a kale salad, which is really saying something. It was nothing short of a magic trick!!!

Kale makes you feel like a very astute farmer with a thriving crop, though any fool with a raised bed and some decent soil can grow it. The real magic is that it just grows back after you cut it. I didn’t know that.

I’m mad that I didn’t grow kale this last summer. If I had, I’d still be harvesting it now—even in the middle of this unseasonably cold weather in the Pacific Northwest. The summer got away from me, though. I didn’t grow my usual seasonal crops like kale or tomatoes. I dropped the ball. I’ll do better next time. Especially now, that I see how much this wonderous leafy-green vegetable really means to me.

Today’s salad was simple yet delicious. Finely chopped kale with a healthy serving of leftover spicy orange BBQ’d chicken, pecans, locally-made croutons from Rachael and Bread dressed with a mustard-ginger dressing in a white wine and olive oil base. So good!